Nailbiter at Northy — Louth wins by 5 runs
Bourke District Crickey Grand Final
In a match that went down to the last few overs on Saturday afternoon, Louth narrowly beat Two Waterholes by just five runs in the grand final of the Bourke & District Cricket Competition.
Louth won the toss at North Bourke Oval and elected to bat on a surface beautifully prepared by volunteer grounds-man Mick Jackson.
Louth’s innings of 152 runs was dominated by four batsmen - opener Will Mitchell who top scored with 61 runs, opening partner Rob Dickison who hit 21, Ben Nott (26) and Guy McDonald (20).
Rob Dickison and Will Mitchell put on a handy opening partnership of 85 runs before Dickison was out leg-before-wicket to Russell Tiffen.
Will Mitchell batted on, hitting fours to all corners of the ground as Colin Lang (3) and Daniel McKenna (0) went cheaply, both to a great spell of bowling from Russell Tiffen.
When Will Mitchell was dismissed for 61, caught behind by Dave Marr, again off the bowling off Russell Tiffen, Louth was 4/98.
Middle order batsmen Ben Nott and Guy McDonald then came in and steadied the ship for Louth. McDonald took the long handle to the Two Waterholes bowlers but was bowled by Will Carney when the score was 128.
Dan Barton was spectacularly run out for two runs after some good fielding by Matthew Attenborough and wicketkeeper, Dave Marr.
Louth’s reliable captain Ben Nott batted on but found little support from the lower order as the last five Louth wickets fell for just nine runs, including four ducks. Ben Nott finished 26 not out.
Ernie Delany was the chief destroyer of the lower order, keeping the bowling tight and accurate while taking 3 wickets for just 11 runs off 4 overs.
Sundries again played a major role as Two Waterholes bowled nine wides, and seven no balls.
The Louth side was bowled out for 152 after 37 of the 40 allotted overs.
The best bowlers for Two Waterholes were Russell Tiffen, with 4 for 18 off 8 overs, and Ernie Delany with 3 for 11 off 4 overs. Troy Hayman also took 1 for 11 off 5 overs and Will Carney took 1 for 18 off two overs.
In reply Two Waterholes began slowly as the top order were dismissed early after some good bowling from Andrew Bell and Colin Lang.
Big hitting Sam Simmons was bowled by Andrew Bell for 3 while Colin Lang accounted for Mick Jackson (6) and Russell Tiffen (4).
Mick Willoughby came in and steadied the Two Waterholes innings, along with Will Carney (8) and Matthew Attenborough (27). When Willoughby was bowled by Will Mitchell for 40, the Two Waterholes score total was 5/90.
Troy Hayman strode to the crease and immediately set about getting the required runs for Two Waterholes. Troy hit four big sixes – all back over the bowler’s head – in a score of 35 not out, and nearly snatched victory from Louth.
Unfortunately for Two Waterholes, the lower order provided little support for their captain, as Louth’s Andrew Bell ripped through the Two Waterholes lower order batting.
Two Waterholes ended up all out, just 5 runs short of the Louth total in the 39th over.
Bowling for Louth, Andrew Bell took an incredible 4 for 7 off 7 overs, Will Mitchell took 2 for 54 off 6.4 overs, Colin Lang took 2 for 18 from 8 overs and Guy McDonald and Chad Taylor took one wicket each.
Will Mitchell was voted Man of the Match by the umpires for his 61 runs and 2 wickets.
Historic win for Louth Cricket Club
Louth Cricket Club’s first premiership in 15 years was an historic day for three players.
Scott Mitchell, Andrew Bell, and Ben Nott were part of the team that brought home the premiership all those years ago.
President of the Bourke & District Cricket Association and Louth captain, Ben Nott, said the grand final drew a huge crowd and lots of youngsters who might one day be part of another premiership winning team.
“It was the best grand final in a long time; the match was close, with either side having the chance to win right up until the last few overs,” Ben said.
“It was a great way to finish the season after a tough start, with flooding at the start of the competition.
“As president of the BDCA, I say a massive thanks to Krystal Bock and Lisa Wade who did a huge amount of work behind the scenes setting up the Bourke comp on the MyCricket website, so people could watch match progress live on their phones.
“I also thank them for organising the finals series, with catering and the awards. Krystal and Lisa also scored the grand final, so thanks to them, and to the Bourke Colts who helped run the bar and BBQ.
“Thanks also to George and Kurt Dickson for umpiring and to George and Mick who umpired the semi-final.
“Mick Jackson had the North Bourke Oval looking unbelievable for the match, both sides played good, tough cricket and it was played in great spirit.
“The match will be talked about for a long time to come, with cricket as the winner.
“It was great to see so many spectators out at the North Bourke and thanks to the sponsors who support our clubs and to the committee for running the comp.
“Well done to all five clubs, who at different times throughout the year struggled for numbers but played short to keep it all going.
“Mick Jackson also deserves thanks for looking after the rep side this year, which played in the Brewery Shield.
“As captain of the Louth club, I thank all our supporters and sponsors, all players that played for us this year who are all a part of the win even if they weren’t all on the field on Saturday.
“And finally, thanks to Meredith Thompson, our Louth scorer, and a special shout out to Bernard Davis for his support for the club since his playing days ended, and to Troy Hayman and his Two Water Holes club - you guys are a great bunch of blokes and it was a great way to finish the season, even better having a few drinks and a feed with you guys, so thank you Troy and Hayley.”